Launching its sponsorship with Nub News Teddington, regional editor Emily Dalton spoke to owner James Morgan on how The Abercorn Arms is a pub like no other. 

Just off Teddington High Street proudly stands The Abercorn Arms.

The idea behind The Abercorn Arms is the "pub of the community". Owner James Morgan says: "When I first came inside and viewed the pub, I thought it was a bit of a gem," he says. "I tried to restore it to its former glory." 

The corner pub opened in November 2021, adding to Morgan's other line of pubs- notably The Sussex Arms in Twickenham and The Antelope in Surbiton. 

Born and bred in Twickenham, Morgan has worked in pubs almost all his life. First as a bar tender, then gradually working his way up as operations manager to owning multiple establishments including his own brewery in Esher- Big Smoke Brew Co.

Morgan seeks out pubs at a secondary location, a little bit off the beaten track, and transforms them into the classic 'old favourite' frequented by locales. 

Morgan says he aims to put life back into buildings and give it an independent-feel. (Photo: The Abercorn Arms)

Taking pubs that need a bit of TLC, Morgan puts life back into the building. Reinventing the buildings as hubs for the community, creating 15 local jobs and working with fundraisers in the community,

Although Morgan is quickly creating a mini family of pubs, he says "we aim for the independent pub feel." 

From the diverse selection of beer mats embellishing the walls to the charming mis-matched wooden furniture, The Abercorn Arms certainly has character. "None of our pubs are run as a chain," Morgan explains. "They are all autonomously run. We try to work as close as we can with the local community."

Outside garden area fitted with heaters for winter. (Photo: The Abercorn Arms)

Situated almost opposite St Mary's and St Peter's school, Morgan tells me The Abercorn Arms supports the Parent Teacher Association (PTAs) at both St Mary's and St Peter's as well as St. Luke's school with their events, fairs, quizzes and fundraising. 

The highlight of the community work? "We sponsored the Teddington light switch on last year which was great," he said.

"We try to look at ourselves as a modern-day community local," Morgan says. He confers with Ben, the barman on duty, about a woman called Philomena who comes in to do charity raffles for Macmillan. 

"We want to create a space in the local community," he says. "We know it isn't the pub people travel across London for, but it is one people just walk around the corner to."

The Abercorn Arms offers a 'Work and Play' booking where people can escape WFH and swap it for a change of scene at the pub with unlimited hot beverages and soft drinks, as well as a proper sarnie for lunch. 

The pub boasts 14 different beers on tap, including alcohol-free beer. (Photo: The Abercorn Arms)

Morgan said The Abercorn Arms was a big investment which built on the "ongoing model of one big beer festival" for his pubs. 

The Abercorn Arms has 14 keg taps of independent craft beers, some from Morgan's Esher-based Big Smoke Brewery. It even has a non-alcoholic craft beer on tap. Cask ales are changed as soon as the tap is finished.

The beers on tap change every week. Ben, a bar tender at the pub, has been a regularly at The Abercorn Arms even before he started working there. He says, "It's so refreshing to come in here and see different things on every week."

Pub managers have some autonomy on what they can select to go on tap. The variety of the beer on offer is what makes it. Ben says: "You might like some stuff you might not like other stuff, but that's okay because it probably won't be here again."

Morgan says he's proud on building a model of pubs which specialise in independent beer. (Photo: The Abercorn Arms)

A proper community pub, Abercorn Arms holds different event nights nearly every day of the week: From Trad Nights every Wednesday (traditional Irish music played by local artists) hugely popular and competitive quizzes every Sunday and Wine Wednesdays with a fiver off a bottle of vino (you can purchase a bottle of Whispering Angel for only £30.95). 

It also offers various dining deals such as Burger Mondays, Tapas Tuesdays, Steak Day on Thursdays and, of course, Morgan says: "We do a banging Sunday Roast".

Morgan says he's looking forward to the Rugby World Cup (8 September – 28 October) as locales gather round to watch the glorious game. It coincides with the pub's second beer festivals at the end of September (the first was in June), making it a busy month. 

Menus are unbranded and changed on a seasonal basis. (Photo: The Abercorn Arms)

Only working with a handful of suppliers who deliver daily, The Abercorn Arms like to keep things close to home. Meat is sourced from Walton-on-Thames, a mere stone's throw away. 

Morgan says: "The menus are designed specifically for each pub, so we don't have a branded menu. It allows us fresh food and quality ingredients, as well as tailoring the menu to each individual pub."

Smokers in the kitchen, a unique feature of the pub, enable the staff to smoke meat and cook pizzas. Rather than daily specials at The Abercorn Arms, the menu adapts on a seasonal basis to get the best out of local produce. As I was leaving the venue Morgan was preparing for a discussion with his head Chef, an employee of 15 years, about the next menu. 

Ingredients are locally sources and menus are fitted to each individual pub. (Photo: The Abercorn Arms)

Teddington Nub News is proud to announce that The Abercorn Arms is the latest sponsor of our news service.

The Abercorn Arms' support will help us deliver the high-quality journalism that Teddington deserves - no clickbait or intrusive ads, just the latest updates on what's happening in our town.

It is thanks to the generosity of organisations like The Abercorn Arms that we can continue our mission to revive local news, both in Teddington and across the UK.